Gavrilova stutters into last four
hong kong — Daria Gavrilova reached the semifinals of the WTA Hong Kong Open for the second year in succession after a secondset meltdown and an error-strewn win against teenager Lizette Cabrera on Friday.
The Australian world number 22 eventually came through 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, but only after an almighty struggle with her serve, a string of unforced errors and her own state of mind.
There was no sign of the drama to come when the 23-year-old Russian-born Aussie nicknamed Dasha raced through the first set 6-1 against her fellow Australian ranked 155.
But the seventh seed grew increasingly frustrated in a second set where she committed 20 unforced errors and started to get down on herself. She took out her frustration on everyone including the crowd, her father and coach Alexei Gavrilov at courtside and the line judges as she unleashed a verbal tirade.
And when, on losing the set, she threw her racquet at her chair in disgust it brought a chorus of boos from the normally respectful centre court crowd in Victoria Park.
The third set was a dour, attritional stop-start affair, littered with double faults, challenged line calls and long games taken to deuce as neither player could gain any semblance of control. In the end Gavrilova sneaked over the line despite serving 16 double faults and having her serve broken five times in a petulant performance. “I have more experience than Liz and I think that helped today,” admitted Gavrilova.
Her opponent on Saturday will be Jennifer Brady who beat American Nicole Gibbs 7-5, 6-4. —